Level 1 & Level 2
Choose your path into bee-centered beekeeping
Learn to tend bees with greater confidence, care, and a deeper understanding of the life of the hive. Whether you’re just beginning your beekeeping journey or ready to deepen your skills, Raising Resilient Bees offers two levels of study & two ways to learn.
Hi, we're Joy & Eric!Â
We’re Joy & Eric! For more than 25 years, we’ve been learning from honey bees: their rhythms, resilience, and the real-world practices that help colonies thrive.
Our courses are rooted in Natural Nest Beekeeping, an approach that works with the bees’ nature by supporting small starts, downward expansion, natural queen rearing, and uninterrupted brood comb.
Level 1 builds a strong foundation in seasonal care, hive observation, bee cycles, and natural Varroa management. Level 2 carries that foundation forward into advanced hive reading, colony expansion, splits, foundationless comb, and long-term resilience.
Thank you for being here and we’re excited to learn together!
Watch the Course Preview
Start Where You Are
Two Levels. Two Ways to Learn.
Level 1
Beginner
/Intermediate
For new and growing beekeepers who want to build confidence from the ground up. Learn natural hive setup, seasonal care, swarm awareness, colony health, feeding practices, and the foundations of bee-centered beekeeping.
Best for: Beginners, newer beekeepers, and anyone wanting a stronger foundation.
$375 Self Paced / $475 Live Cohort
Level 2
Advanced Stewardship
For beekeepers ready to move into the next layer of the craft. Learn to grow your apiary through splits, natural queen rearing, brood health, Varroa strategy, genetics, and long-term resilience.
Best for: Beekeepers with some experience who are ready to expand with care.
$375 Self Paced / $475 Live Cohort
Level 1 & 2
The Complete Course Bundle
For students who want the complete Raising Resilient Bees experience through an entire beekeeping season. From foundational natural beekeeping through advanced apiary stewardship and hive growth.Â
Best for: Anyone who wants a full learning pathway with Joy and Eric.
$700 Self Paced / $900 Live Cohort
Choose How You Want to Learn
Self-Paced or Live Cohort
Self Paced
Start Anytime. Learn on Your Schedule.
The Self-Paced option gives you the freedom to move through the curriculum when it works for you.
You’ll receive access to the complete course, additional learning resources, our online course community, and a personalized 1:1 call with Joy & Eric for each course you take.
There are no cohort dates to keep up with and no weekly live classes you need to attend.
Move quickly, take your time, or return to material as your own bees and seasons bring new questions forward.
Self-Paced is best for you if you:
• Want to start right away
• Need flexibility around your own schedule
• Prefer learning independently
• Want to revisit lessons as situations arise in your own apiary
• Still want personalized guidance from Joy & Eric
Flexible. Independent. Supported.
 Live Cohort
Learn Together With Joy, Eric & Fellow Beekeepers.
The Live Cohort combines the complete course curriculum with a structured five-week learning experience.
You’ll move through the modules alongside other students and gather with Joy & Eric for live teaching, Q&A, discussion, and deeper exploration of the material.
The cohort gives you a rhythm to follow, a community to learn alongside, and an opportunity to bring questions from your own apiary into the conversation as the course unfolds.
Can’t attend every live call? Calls are recorded so you can catch up and stay connected to the course.
The Live Cohort is best for you if you:
• Learn best through conversation and interaction
• Want weekly structure and accountability
• Value live access to Joy & Eric
• Have questions you’d like to explore in real time
• Enjoy learning alongside a community of fellow beekeepers
Guided. Interactive. Connected.
Level 1: Beginner/Intermediate
Build Your Natural Beekeeping Foundation
A Bit About Level 1
Level 1 helps you understand the hive, the seasons, and the daily craft of tending bees with care. Designed for new and early-stage natural beekeepers, it offers a grounded entry point into Natural Nest Beekeeping and resilient colony stewardship. You’ll learn hive basics, inspections, queen fundamentals, seasonal rhythms, equipment choices, varroa management, feeding, honey handling, and how to respond to common colony challenges.
 Course Curriculum
Module 1 · Getting Started
Mindset, equipment, hive placement, and setup.
Module 2 · Inside the Hive
Colony roles, queen basics, seasonal rhythms, and inspections.
Module 3 · Natural Nest Beekeeping
Hive structure, equipment transitions, and natural Varroa foundations.
Module 4 · Sustainable Practices
Feeding, honey handling, and seasonal management.
Module 5 · Natural Queen Rearing
Swarming, queen events, colony reproduction, and queen rearing.
Outcome: You’ll leave with a clear, calm framework for knowing what to do, when to do it, and why.
Level 1 Self Paced $375
Start anytime and complete Level 1 on your schedule.
• Five core modules
• Additional educational resources
• Community access
• One 1:1 call with Joy & Eric
• Certificate of Completion
Level 1 Live Cohort $475
Take Level 1 as a guided five-week experience with Joy, Eric, and fellow beekeepers.
• Five core modules
• Weekly live calls
• Teaching + Q&A
• Call recordings
• Community access
• Certificate of Completion
Next Cohort: March 2027
Level 2:Â Advanced Stewardship
Grow Your Apiary with Care
A Bit About Level 2
Level 2 carries the foundation forward into growth. Designed for experienced natural beekeepers, it helps you make more strategic choices around expansion, queen events, genetics, brood health, and long-term apiary resilience. You’ll deepen your hive-reading skills and learn practical approaches to splits, colony divides, foundationless comb, natural queen rearing, breeding for resistance, varroa strategy, and broader stewardship practices.
Course Cirriculum
Module 1 · Advanced Techniques & Evolutionary Wisdom
Advanced hive behavior and decision-making.
Module 2 · Advanced Hive Management
Expansion, woodenware, and foundationless comb.
Module 3 · Splits, Queens & Breeding
Splits, natural queen rearing, genetics, and breeding for resistance.
Module 4 · Varroa & Colony Health
Advanced Varroa strategy, brood health, and disease awareness.
Module 5 · Stewardship Beyond the Hive
Pollination, biodynamics, hive products, and broader stewardship.
Outcome: You’ll leave with stronger reproduction planning, deeper colony awareness, and tools for growing a more resilient apiary over time.
Level 1 Self Paced $375Â
Start anytime and work through Level 2 at your own pace.
• Five core modules
• Additional resources
• Community access
• One 1:1 call with Joy & Eric
• Certificate of Completion
Level 2 Live Cohort $475
Take Level 2 as a guided five-week experience with Joy, Eric, and fellow beekeepers.
• Five core modules
• Weekly live calls
• Teaching + Q&A
• Call recordings
• Community access
• Certificate of Completion
Next Cohort:Â July 2027
Want the Complete Learning Path?
Bundle Level 1 + Level 2 🤝
 The bundle is for beekeepers who want the complete journey—from strong foundations to advanced stewardship—using the full Raising Resilient Bees approach. You’ll start by building clarity and confidence with inspections, seasonal rhythm, queen basics, natural nest structure, and resilient management—then progress into advanced strategy: foundationless comb, splits, natural queen rearing, resistance-focused thinking, and long-term planning for healthier colonies year after year. It’s the most cohesive way to learn because each level reinforces the next, giving you both the “why” and the “how,” step-by-step. You also get the added bonus of being with us throughout the entire beekeeping season (if you enroll in the live cohort)!Â
Self Paced Bundle $700
Learn both levels on your schedule.
• All 10 course modules
• Start anytime
• Two personalized 1:1 calls with Joy & Eric
• Community access
• Certificates for both courses
Live Cohort Bundle $900
Learn both levels with us.
• All 10 course modules
• Two guided five-week cohorts
• Weekly live teaching & Q&A
• Call recordings
• Community access
• Certificates for both courses
Next Cohort: March 2027
 Kind Words From Our Past Students
Kevin
Natural Beekeeping Student
This course gave me new confidence in keeping bees. Joy and Eric encouraged me not to be shy about getting out, looking into other hives, and gaining as much hands-on experience as possible. Their passion for bees, along with their depth of experience, makes the information feel accessible & practical.
Kendra
Natural Beekeeping Student
I've been searching for a beekeeping course that aligns with my desire for bee centric and natural beekeeping methods. Joy and Eric have created a legacy for just that! From better materials to streamlined beekeeper methods, bottom boards and ways to make natural queen reared splits to honey as medicine. There is something in this course for beginners and advanced beekeepers alike.”
Chelsea
Natural Beekeeping Student
This course was amazing. Joy and Eric are true masters of their craft, and the course does a beautiful job of bringing their knowledge, experience, and presence into an online format. The videos, quizzes, and overall structure were really well put together, and I could feel the heart and care behind the whole experience.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is “Natural Nest Beekeeping”?
Which level should I choose?
Do I need Level 1 before Level 2?
What’s the difference between Self-Paced and Live Cohort?
Is the curriculum the same for Self-Paced & Live Cohort?
Can I take both courses?
What if I miss a live call?
Will I receive a certificate?
Will these courses teach Varroa management?
Do I need specific equipment to take the course?
What’s the refund or cancellation policy?
Learn a More Bee-Centered Way to Tend the Hive
Natural beekeeping invites us into a different kind of relationship with bees, one rooted in observation, timing, and care.
Whether you are building your foundation in Level 1 or growing your apiary in Level 2, these courses will help you better understand the biology, seasonal rhythms, nesting needs, reproductive cycles, and local adaptation of the colony.
The goal is not just to keep bees alive, but also to support colonies in becoming stronger, more resilient, and more fully themselves over time.
Begin where you are, and grow with the bees.
